The Nightmare I Call my Life
by Foxyshy
Summary: When Zim catches a strange disease that causes him to turn into a werewolf, and brutal killings start becoming a daily occurence, it's a struggle to stay alive in a setting that is becoming more and more dangerous. And who is the black wolf? R&R, ZADF.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Hi, everyone! This is my first story, so I sincerely apologize if it's awful. I apologize again if it comes out strangely, I am using a fairly old computer and an outdated version of Word. I will update as often as I can, but it can get busy with school and such, but I really hope you like it. Please review, but just remember that nasty reviews are neither helpful nor appreciated. Quick disclaimer, I do not own Invader Zim, the show and all its characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez. Story is written for fun, not profit. I also apologize for any OOC-ness that may occur. Oh, and a brief heads-up, I may use an OC of mine, her name is Veena, all info about her is posted at the bottom of my profile. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge a story called "When Darkness Falls" by an author named Coraline15, she and her story served as a lot of the inspiration for this one. So, with that out of the way, let's get started!**

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><p>Dib's P.O.V.<p>

Have you ever felt your life flash before your eyes? Something happens that you just can't accept, so you tell yourself it's just a dream, no, a nightmare, and soon you'll wake up and it'll all be over, but deep down you know it's no dream? Well, I can tell you now that I've experienced that feeling firsthand. I've never been so terrified in my life as I am now, running for my life from a jet-black wolf the size of a bear. A creature like something out of a nightmare. A creature that used to be my rival, my enemy, forever my opponent in this sadistic little game we played, each of us fighting for a race that cared nothing for us. Zim. I could almost laugh at the pointlessness of it all if my situation wasn't so terrifying.

I risk a quick glance behind me, and instantly regret it. The sight of a pair of cold, unfeeling blue eyes, glistening, six-inch ivory fangs, and three-hundred pounds of sweat, power, and raw muscle a mere thirty feet behind you is not the most uplifting sight, to say the least.

I don't even know how long I've been running. All these trees look the same. I must be several miles away from the city, regardless of which direction I've been going. Miles away from the nearest human. No one will hear me if I scream, so why bother? Even if someone could hear me, no one would give a damn. My whole existence basically revolves around being everyone's punching bag. Hell, I can't even stand up to my little sister…

Dammit!

Tripped over a root! Without even pausing, I scramble up, despite every muscle screaming out in protest.

I got up quickly, but not quickly enough. Subtract five feet from the distance between me and the werewolf. Just my luck. I keep running, ignoring the burning sensation in my legs, and the fact that it feels like I'm running through molasses. If I even slow down, it could mean death.

I'm too young to die. Finally I understand just what those words mean. Finally it hits me. If some miracle doesn't magically show up and save me, I'm going to die.

No.

This can't be happening. I don't want to die. This can't be real…..

There is a small ledge up ahead. I frantically scramble down, and that costs me a few seconds. I throw another quick glance behind me, just in time to see the beast clear the ledge in one powerful leap. Take another ten feet off my lead. What an irony that would be. A paranormal investigator, killed by an alien werewolf. Why am I even still running? What do I have to live for? It would be so simple, so _easy_, to just give up….

Wait... Up ahead… Perfect! Brambles! I may survive this yet….

I duck into the brambles, and hope the wolf follows…. Yes! It follows me! It's so big it gets stuck, just as I'd hoped. It buys me some time, but still I can't slow down.

As I burst out of the last of the brambles, I see something else up ahead… Another ledge? But this one is different… There's… Water? I can use this!

As I jump over the ledge and into the water, I notice something. Behind the little waterfall there's a small opening. A cave? Maybe I can rest here… The water will keep the beast from sniffing me out… As I scramble into the cave, an enraged roar and some loud cracking sounds inform me that the beast has gotten out of the brambles.

Well, I should wait it out here. I try to breathe shallowly; I don't think the beast can fit through the opening, but better safe than sorry. My ankle hurts. I probably twisted it when I tripped over that root, and just not noticed it until now.

How did I get myself into this? Where did I go wrong? I made so many mistakes… Well, It's probably still out there, so I've got time… How did this all start? I think back… Now I remember… The day it all began…

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><p><strong>Well, that's it for Chapter 1! Not a lot happened in this chapter, but I will try to keep it a little more interesting from now on. I really hoped you liked it, if you did, please review. I have the story pretty much planned out, so updates should be somewhat frequent if school doesn't get in the way. However, I'm not going to post Chapter 2 until I get at least two positive reviews. If no positive reviews show up, that probably means that this story isn't worth continuing. Well, here's hoping! Invader ShadowWolf, OUT!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: How it Began

**Hi everyone, I'm baaack! This is Chapter Two of my story, and a big thank you goes out to everyone who took the time to leave a review for the last chapter, because you all really made my day! Please note, for several chapters the story is going to take place in Dib's flashback. Just wanted to make that clear, so no one is confused. I apologize for any OOC-ness that may occur. Anyway, the disclaimer, I do not own Invader Zim, if I did it would not be cancelled, all characters and other aspects of the show belong to Jhonen Vasquez. All I own are any of my OC's that may or may not appear in the story. Story is written for fun, not profit. So then, now that that is out of the way, let's begin!**

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><p>(Flashback) Dib's P.O.V<p>

There was the sound of yet another enormous sneeze,and a warm glow briefly spread across the dingy classroom, bringing with it a fresh bout of intense heat. Zim had set his desk on fire with a sneeze. Again. I raised my hand.

"Ms. Bitters? Zim is turning grey-blue, shaking, and sneezing fire. How am I still the only one who sees he's an alien?"

The ancient teacher just growled in response. Then a familiar voice piped up from the opposite side of the room.

"Zim *cough* is no alien! Foolish stink-beast. I merely *cough* have caught a *shudder* perfectly normal FILTHY EARTH SICKNESS!"

The alien then dissolved into a violent coughing fit, which gave me some satisfaction. However, this got the attention of our teacher. She turned her head, accompanied with several dry cracks, and for the first time today, spoke in that scratchy monotone of hers.

"Zim, you're sick?"

"Yes, Zim is sick, *cough* just a normal earth sickness. No cause for alarm. *cough* I'M NORMAL! *cough cough*"

"If you're sick, go home. We don't want your virus spreading to the other useless students."

"Yes, Ms. Bit- ACHOO!"

He cut himself off with another massive sneeze of fire, reducing the desk in front of him to dust, clearly having reached its limit.

"-ters," he finished, as though nothing had happened.

The room was silent and all eyes were on Zim as he shakily got up, only to fall flat on his face. I let loose a little snicker. I couldn't help it. Normally he'd let it slide, but this time it was a mistake. The first of many that I'd make throughout the following events.

Zim suddenly stood bolt upright, and wheeled around to face me. I've seen him angry before, but never anything like this. His fists were clenched, and his jaw was tightly closed, moving slightly as he ground his teeth together. He was still shaking, but now it was from rage, not from illness. The pupils in his contacts were blood-red, and I don't even want to know how red his real eyes were. Then when a low growl started coming from his throat and slowly rising in volume, I was getting more than a little freaked out, but then the growl dissolved into a cough, he lost the threatening position, and his contacts faded back into a light violet.

He turned back around, and began to walk through the door, stopping only once to give me a quick death glare, his eyes flashing red again briefly. If looks could kill, I would have burst into flames right then and there. Despite what had happened, I didn't think much about Zim's somewhat _less-than-typical_ reaction. My second mistake.

Ms. Bitters resumed the lesson, which I didn't really listen to. Something about how we're all just doomed, no doubt. However, later, in the lunchroom, a thought occurred to me. What if Zim isn't actually sick? What if he was faking? This could all be just a ruse to buy him time to work on his latest plan for global conquest! That must be it….. I didn't want to risk waiting until school got out, so I just left in the middle of lunch. It's not like anyone would notice I'm gone, except my sister, and she'd probably just be glad that no one is there to bug her. Right, no one's gonna miss "Crazy UFO Kid." Here, I don't even really have a name besides that.

When I reached Zim's house, the first thing I noticed was that his lawn-gnome defenses weren't on. But now that I think about it, it's not that weird. I mean, everyone is supposed to be at school or work right now. I casually walked across the lawn and knocked on the door. When it swung open and I saw who was standing there, I immediately wished I hadn't. A little green dog with a vacant expression and a zipper down his chest was standing and staring straight ahead. Oh no. GIR. I watched in horror as he slowly looked up, with the aura of something about to explode, or go wild, or both. And as it turns out, I wasn't that far off the mark, because that's pretty much what it sounded like when he spoke.

"HEY! WHADDAYA KNOW, it's the QUEEN OF THE PIXIES! YOU SAY HI TO THE ELVES FOR ME? HUH?"

What the….. Queen of the pixies? Where the hell did that come from? Like I even wanna know…..

"SOOOO? HOW BOUT 'DEM ELVES?," the insane robot asked.

"Gir, please, come on, act moderately sane for once in your life! It's me, Dib! Now, where is Zim?"

"WHATCHUSAY?"

"I said, where is Zim?"

"WHATCHUSAY?"

"I said, WHERE IS-

"WHATCHUSAY?"

"OH, FORGET IT!"

I stormed past the little robot, and entered the base. I hadn't gone more than a few steps when the little robot turned around and spoke up again.

"Wait, you wanna see my master?"

"Yes, GIR, I want to know where Zim is!"

"Well why didn't you _SAY SO_? Ah know where he is!"

At this point, I really wanted to bang either his or my head against the wall, but I decided against it.

"My master is down in the base. He iddint feelin' good. Don't tell nobody, but I think the _leprechauns_ did it!

Great. First pixies, and now leprechauns. What's next, mermaids?

"But it may have been the mermaids…." Continued the insane robot.

I slapped my palm against my forehead in exasperation.

"Gir, can you take me to him?"

"YES! Wait, no… I mean, YES! I mean, I dunno….."

"Can you just tell me where he went?"

"…..OKEE DOKEE! He went down there," the robot said, gesturing toward the toilet, which was oddly located in the kitchen.

"_Thank you_," I said sarcastically, climbing into the toilet.

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><p><strong>Well, that's it for Chapter Two! Hope you liked it, please R&amp;R! Did I<strong> **do Gir well? This chapter was a bit more active than the last one, but still not a lot going on. I'll try to keep updates as frequent as authorly possible. See you next time! Invader ShadowWolf, OUT! **


	3. Chapter 3: Things Unwravel

**Hello again! I'm back with the third chapter! I sincerely hope that you've been enjoying the story so far, I've been trying to keep things interesting. I apologize for any OOC-ness. Quick disclaimer, and then we can start. I do not own Invader Zim, the show and all it's aspects and characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez. Story is written for fun, not profit. Okay then, here goes Chapter Three!**

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><p>(flashback) Dib's P.O.V.<p>

As the elevator I was in slowly descended into Zim's base, I reflected on what his robot, Gir, had said.

"Gir said Zim wasn't feeling good… Maybe he really is sick… But what if he didn't tell his robot he was faking? Or maybe he _told _Gir to say that… But why would he? His gnomes weren't on, and everyone is supposed to be at school or work right now… It doesn't make sense… I'm talking out loud to myself again… Whatever. He probably just didn't tell his robot… That has to be it."

As soon as I stopped talking, I became aware of a noise coming from somewhere deeper in the base. It sounded like two people arguing… I was too far away to make out what they were saying, all I could hear was the tone of the voices. The first voice was somewhat mechanical, a sarcastic monotone… Zim's computer. The second voice was strange, though. It would sound like Zim's voice, and then fade into a raspy growl, sharp and angry, almost like… A wolf barking? Odd… My thoughts were cut short by a jolt from the elevator, it had reached the bottom.

No sooner had I stepped out of the elevator than I tripped over something. I looked over my shoulder to see what it was, and Gir was standing there!

"What, GIR? How did you get down here before me?"

"….. I haven't the slightest idea!"

Then the robot broke off into a fit of insane giggling. I sighed.

"Look Gir, just stay here. I'm gonna go talk to Zim, okay?"

The robot stared at me blankly for a few seconds, then broke into a goofy grin and began to nod vigorously.

"YUP! Okey Dokey! I stay here and make sure the rabid squid-ninjas don't get in!"

"Right…. You do that," I said, walking off and leaving the little robot there, laughing insanely to himself, and mumbling something about "cheesy goodness."

I followed the sounds of the voices, and as I got closer, I started to be able to understand some of what they were saying.

"I told you, run a diagnostic on the illness!" the wolfy voice barked.

"…I've already run three," replied the computerized monotone.

"WELL RUN ANOTHER ONE, THEN! These can't possibly be right, they LIE!"

"You can run a thousand more, Zim. The results will not change. You have Lupitis, and no amount of tests you take will make a difference, and you know it," snapped the computer.

Huh, so the wolf-bark _was_ Zim… Odd… I wonder what happened to his voice… And what's Lupitis?

I must have spaced out a bit, because the next thing I knew I was about to walk in front of a doorway. I stopped short, and just in time, because Zim was in this room, and if the tone of his voice was any clue, if he'd seen me it would not have been pretty.

I peered through the doorway and into the room, leaning in just barely enough. I had to squint at first because the room was fairly bright compared to the sparse lighting in the rest of the base. However, when my eyes adjusted, the scene I saw seemed normal enough, aside from the fact that Zim was a bit hunched over where he stood.

"I AM YOUR MASTER, IF I TELL YOU TO RUN ANOTHER TEST, SO HELP ME, YOU RUN ANOTHER TEST!" Zim screamed.

"No, I'm not running anymore tests! They eat time and power, and the results aren't going to change! It's pointless Zim, give it up alreadly!" the computer yelled back.

Zim seemed to sigh, and dropped the papers he had been holding. I almost thought he was submitting when he leaned forward, putting his arms on the elaborate keyboard in front of him. But suddenly, every single one of his muscles visibly tightened, and he gripped the keyboard so hard that his claws dug into it, leaving small rivets on the glowing surface. Then he began to tear the keyboard apart, shouting swears, both in English and Irken.

"STOP IT! IT'S NOT GOING TO HELP!" shouted the computer, panicking.

"GOD DAMN YOU!" Zim screeched in response, burying his fist in the computer screen, shattering it and causing an automatic shutdown.

Most of the light in the room disappeared, he must have destroyed the main computer. He glanced at his handiwork with a smug chuckle, which dissolved into a barking cough. He raised his hand to his face, and began to pull out the glass shards imbedded in it, dropping some in the small puddle of blue blood beginning to pool on the floor, others he just threw in random directions as if they were darts, not caring if he hit anyone, although there was not really anyone there _to_ hit. The final glass shard, however, he threw in my direction, and I almost got out of the way in time. _Almost._ The shard just barely grazed my cheek, leaving a fine cut under my right eye before sticking in the wall behind me.

I let out a tiny gasp of pain, and that gasp, despite how small it was, was my third mistake.

I froze. So did Zim. My mind was racing. Could he have heard that? No, there's no way… Why did he stop? He couldn't have heard that, it must have been something else. You know he heard that. Stupid, stupid, stupid! You knew better than to make a noise! Idiot, now you're going to pay for it! You saw what he did to the computer, now it's gonna happen to you! But there's no way he could have heard that! Is there? Please don't let him have heard that… Please…

I was too scared to even move, until the sound of approaching footsteps brought me out of my shock. I took off down the hallway, knowing that he would hear me, but hoping he wouldn't be able to catch up. At the sound of me running, he barreled out the door, and with an enraged roar, started to run after me.

It was unbelievable how fast he moved, he didn't even have to activate his PAK legs to keep close behind me. But it was strange the way he moved, at first he was running upright, but then he started to run lower and lower to the ground, until he was running on all fours. The oddest thing about this was that it didn't looked accidental, or forced, in fact it looked almost natural. It was hard to keep ahead of him, he was tearing down the hallway just a few yards behind me, bellowing swears at the top of his voice.

There was a turn in the darkened hallway, which I made without much difficulty, but Zim had so much momentum that it was impossible for him to make the sharp turn, and he crashed headlong into the wall, scrambling for purchase on the smooth floor. That lengthened my lead by several yards.

The elevator can't be far now, I thought. I was right, there, about twenty yards ahead, the hall ended and there was the elevator. Unfortunately, Gir was standing directly in front of the elevator, performing ridiculous-looking ninja moves.

"GIR! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" I yelled down the hall.

The robot looked up.

"HEY! You're BACK! DID YOU AND MASTER HAVE A NICE TEA PARTY?"

I didn't bother answering, I just threw the little robot out of the way, and began frantically pressing the door button on the elevator. By this time, Zim had gotten up, and was tearing down the hall towards me, cursing a blue streak in six different languages. The elevator doors opened and I rushed inside, and began pressing the close door button as rapidly as I could. Zim was just a few feet away when the doors finally slid shut, just in time for Zim to crash against the other side, so angry by this point that I wasn't sure if some of the words he was yelling even meant anything.

Then suddenly there was a tremendous bang accompanied with a bulge in the metal of the door, and more curses. Then another, and another. He was trying to punch his way through!

Suddenly the metal ruptured and an arm reached through and started groping around. I pressed my back against the side of the elevator opposite the door, wanting to be as far from Zim as possible. My eyes darted around, looking for anything that would help me. My gaze came to rest on the elevator control panel. If I could get to that, I could get out, but there was no way to reach it without Zim throttling me, unless… I glanced over the rest of the small elevator, until I found what I was looking for. There was a small, knifelike shard of metal on the floor left over from when Zim smashed the door. I darted in and picked it up, and waited for an opening...

There!

I leaned in and struck at Zim with the shard, opening a long gash in his arm. He gave a high-pitched yelp, and the arm retracted. Without hesitating, I dashed to the control panel, and slammed down on the buttons. The mechanism groaned and began to move, grinding and clicking due to the damage to the elevator.

I gave a sigh of relief, and was just starting to relax when I heard a growly voice echoing up the elevator shaft.

"ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP YOU LITTLE CUR! IF YOU EVER HAVE THE NERVE TO COME HERE AGAIN, I SWEAR I WILL END YOUR EXISTENCE BEFORE YOU CAN BLINK! DO YOU HEAR ME? IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE, YOU WILL NEVER, EVER COME BACK HERE FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIVE! NEVER!"

He continued shouting, but I didn't listen, I really didn't need to hear any more death threats today, towards me or otherwise.

As soon as the elevator reached the house level, I scrambled out of the toilet and ran like my life depended on it, because, actually, it did.

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><p><strong>Sooooo, that's it for Chapter Three! Hope you enjoyed it! This was my longest chapter so far, and I think it may be my favorite. Please R&amp;R and tell me what you thought of it! I will try to update soon. Oh, and have a happy Thanksgiving everyone! Invader ShadowWolf, OUT!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Feral

**Hey guys, da ShadowWolf is back! Sorry it's been a while since I last updated, my Skool has really been piling the homework on. Well, this is Chapter Four! I'd like to thank everyone who has followed my story so far and been leaving reviews, it's appreciated, so please continue to do so. Oh, and for those of you who are curious, the "mysterious illness" Zim has contracted, Lupitis, is pronounced: LOO-py-tiss. Time for the disclaimer, and then the story can continue! I (sadly) do not own Invader Zim, all characters, rights, and aspects of the show belong to Jhonen Vasquez. So then, without further ado, here we go!**

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><p>(flashback) Dib's P.O.V.<p>

It was a few more days before Zim came back to Skool, and when he did, he had changed. I gave him a very wide berth, not only due to the strange behavior, but also to the fact that, as much as I hated to admit it, I was more than a little scared of him after what had happened at the base. I've started archiving the changes I see about him in my computer.

The first of the changes that I noticed in him were subtle differences in the way he walked. The cocky march he normally exhibited was replaced by a hunched-over sulk, that made him look like he was constantly sneaking around. He walked much more lightly, too, at times I could have sworn he was gliding. At one point I watched him walk through a bed of dry leaves without making a sound.

Another change I noticed in him was his appearance. Over the course of about two weeks, he visibly gained weight and muscle mass, and he's grown a bit larger. Those zipper-like teeth of his got sharper, and grew in length. He's also started wearing a hat lately, just a red baseball hat, and while I'd like to know why, he doesn't seem stable enough to confront.

He's been having strange mood swings as well. For instance, just the other day he was sitting by himself outside during recess, completely calm, and one of the balls some of the kids were playing with rolled by him. He was asked to throw the ball back, but instead of doing so, he threw the ball onto the roof of the school, walked over and punched the child who had asked him to throw it, and turned and sat back down without a word.

His voice has also changed. At first it just wavered between his normal voice and the wolfy one every so often, but now it largely stays wolf-like.

The strangest thing I have noticed however, is what he's been eating. A few days after his return, I walked into the cafeteria to find him sitting alone at one of the tables, eating _steak. Raw_ _steak. _He wasn't even eating in a civilized manner. He was scarfing them down, tearing them to pieces, tossing them in the air and catching them in his mouth, oblivious to the fact that the entire cafeteria was staring at him in horror. I got the courage to ask how he was even eating that stuff, but in response, he gave me a look that wouldn't have been out of place on the devil himself. He's eaten raw steak every day at Skool since then. He's like some kind of wild animal…

There were other incidents too. During his first week back, he ripped a door off its hinges while opening it. Three separate times. Another of the incidents was when he destroyed one of the bookshelves in the Skool library. No one knows if it was accidental or on purpose. I wasn't there, but I was told that it was just pretty normal and quiet, and everyone was absorbed in their studies, and then there was the loudest crack, followed by a huge crash. Everybody looked up, and there was Zim, standing over a fallen bookshelf. Torn pages and splintered wood were everywhere, and Zim was just standing in the middle of it all, sneering. As soon as he looked up and noticed the stares, he just snorted and left.

One of the more recent episodes happened near the end of his second week back. He was using the electric pencil sharpener, and was taking quite some time about it. One of the kids in the short line behind him decided he had had enough, and told Zim to hurry up. Zim stopped, and removed his pencil from the sharpener. He then ripped three feet of the electric cable out of the wall, and hurled the sharpener through the window, missing the child who had spoken by millimeters, and turned and went back to his seat.

The last incident happened exactly two weeks after his return, and was by far the worst of them. He was sitting by himself during recess, on the bench by the tree, as usual. By this time most of the kids had learned to avoid him, but not all of them. Maybe if those few kids had just been a little quicker on the uptake, the following event would never have happened, but they didn't, and it did.

A group of three kids just walked over to him, and started taunting him and making snide remarks.

"Lunatic."

"Freak."

"Anger Issues."

I watched it all. I probably should have done something, but it's not like it would have helped the matter. In fact, it most likely would have made things that much worse, so I hung back.

I could only look as the kids continued to tease him, oblivious to the fact that although he was still staring ahead, motionless, his muscles were tightening, his claws digging into the bench, that crazed look returning to his eyes.

Without warning, an arm shot out and gloved claws locked around the largest child, the leader's throat. A sickening crack echoed across the playground as Zim's free fist connected with the leader's face, shattering his nose and jaw. He then slammed the kid's head into the pavement and left him there, lunging at the second child.

He grabbed the second child by the arm and threw him against the tree behind him, most likely dislocating the arm and fracturing his spine in the process. The last child he lashed out at with his claws, having now torn through the tips of his gloves, and opened three deep gashes on the kid's face and chest.

As soon as the last child was down, he paused and surveyed the scene, licking pensively at the blood staining his hands. After a moment, he turned and bolted off of Skool grounds, and didn't come back. I never told anyone what really happened to those kids, but I'm not sure why. No one but me knows how they got like that, and all of them are either in a coma or too traumatized to remember, so they aren't talking.

A few days after the last incident, I was sitting on my bed, pondering what to do next.

_I need to find out what's wrong with Zim, but I don't really have much to go on… All I have is the name Lupitis… Arrgh! I need more than that to even have a clue as to what's going on! If only I had more information, maybe a database…_

I stood up.

_Wait! I do! Tak's ship! The ship is still a bit screwy but I can access the database from my computer!_

I bolted over to the desk where my laptop sat, and booted it up.

_Here goes nothing, _I thought, accessing the database.

After a few minutes of searching, I found what I was looking for. I opened the page, and Irken text began to scroll across, quickly being converted intoEnglish. As soon as the translation was done, I read the page aloud.

"Lupitis- A rare virus, the deadliest known disease among Irkens. There is no known cure. Not very much is known about the disease, as all subjects who contract it are banished, as they are too dangerous to remain, and the termination of the subject could cause the spread of the disease. An as yet unexplained side effect of the disease is the ability to consume meat, and uncontrollable cravings to devour it in massive quantities. Lupitis is an illness that first affects areas of the throat, causing sneezing, coughing, and eventually causing the voice to change. The virus quickly spreads to the brain, changing first the behavior, making the subject become aggressive, then changing the physical appearance. The changes in appearance that occur are changes in the stature, large canine fangs growing in, increase in size and muscle mass, large claws on the hands and feet, a thick coat of fur, a bushy tail and pointed ears growing in, and the subject in general taking on a canine appearance. The change is constant, but the disease thrives in the dark, and the change becomes most severe at night. While the disease is the worst in Irkens, it has been observed that most other species can contract the disease as well, albeit with less extreme symptoms. The disease is commonly known by other species who contract it as lycanthropy, or werewolf.

I stopped, there was nothing else on the page. I closed the database, turned off the computer, and just sat there, stunned, as it all slid into place. His behavior, his appearance, his voice, everything. It all made sense. I shook myself out of my shock. I knew what I had to do next. I had to confront him.

The sun had long since gone down as I walked down the road towards Zim's base, and the dim streetlamps were casting eerie shadows in the darkness. I walked slowly, Zim's threat from our previous encounter still fresh in my mind. I was already having second thoughts. When I finally reached the base, I had very nearly turned back several times. The oddly-proportioned house looked as creepy as ever in the gloom.

A cloud drifted over the moon as I approached the front lawn, only adding to the spooky effect. I threw a small stone onto the lawn, confirming my suspicions. The gnomes were off. Despite that, I quietly darted across the lawn, not ready to throw caution to the wind, not after what happened last time. I was just about to ease the door open, but hesitated, a hint of doubt buzzing at the back of my mind. If I'd known what was about to happen, I would have listened, would have turn and run right there without looking back. I thought for a moment, then just decided to ignore it, another mistake. I thought for a moment, then just decided to ignore it. Another mistake.

I slipped inside the bizarre house, and the first sight that met my eyes was Gir sitting in the middle of the room, facing away from me. I was about to say something when the robot cut me off. There was something wrong with the way he spoke, though. His voice was flat and distant. An eerie monotone, devoid of any emotion.

"You shouldn't have come here."

"Gir?" I asked, a bit worried.

"You shouldn't have come here. You'd think you would have learned your lesson after last time."

"Gir? What's going on? What happened?"

"He left, but he'll be back soon. If he finds you, he'll kill you. He isn't the same. He's trying not to do this, it isn't his fault, but he can't help it," continued the robot, as if I hadn't spoken.

"Gir, where is he? I need to talk to him!"

"Have you even been listening? You can't talk to him, you can't reason with him, and you can't help him. He is beyond help."

Suddenly there was the sound of heavy footsteps from outside.

"Too late. He's back. You should hide."

"H-hide? Where?"

"Just hide. Anywhere. Quickly."

I glanced around frantically for a moment, before hiding in one of the roboparents' closets, and closing the door all but a fraction just as Zim came in the door. Peering through the tiny crack, it was all I could do to keep myself from gasping in shock when I saw him. He was still hunched over, but he had a short coat of fur almost the same color as his skin, just a bit darker. His legs were bent the wrong way, much like the hind legs of a dog. His eyes were narrowed, and his teeth and claws much longer and sharper than before, and above his mouth was a small, doglike nose. A long, bushy wolf tail was dragging along behind him, and black, pointed, canine ears to match grew out of where his antennae used to be. When he spoke, his voice was even growlier than it was.

"Gir? What are you doing?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Hmph. Good. At least even you can't screw that up. Report. Has anyone come into the base while I was out?"

I held my breath, praying that Gir wouldn't rat me out. The robot hesitated before speaking.

"No, master. No one entered the base during your absence."

I inwardly sighed in relief. Good old Gir. Then something caught my eye. I squinted, and I saw that I was right. There was something wet all over Zim's uniform. I continued to stare and I noticed the same substance was all over his hands and mouth.

_What is that?..._

And then I realized.

I think my heart may have stopped beating right then. Time seemed to slow down. I didn't move. I watched as Zim walked into the other room and descended into the base, just barely squeezing into the garbage can. As soon as he was out of sight, I threw open the door and ran like hell, not even stopping to check on the silent, motionless Gir. I ran faster than I ever had in my life. I ran because I knew what that substance was. I ran because I knew why he'd left and what he'd done. I ran because what Zim was covered in was blood.

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><p><strong>Cliffhanger! I apologize again for the long wait. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it took me a long time to write! It was about five pages on Word, and that's a lot by my standards. Please R&amp;R, and tell me if it was worth all the effort! I will try to update soon, see you next time! Invader ShadowWolf, OUT!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: News

**Hey guys, I'm back! I apologize for yet ANOTHER long wait, I've been working on a different story, I've had a bit of writers block on this one, Skool is still keeping me mind-numbingly busy… That kinda stuff. Sorry. Really, I am. I mean it. I do! I SWEAR! Please put the chainsaw away!... Thank you. Alright, so then, the disclaimer, I do not own Invader Zim, all rights, characters, and aspects of the show belong to Jhonen Vasquez. So then, enough chit-chat, let's begin the (sort of) much-anticipated Chapter Five! Please enjoy, here we go!**

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><p>(flashback) Dib's P.O.V.<p>

It was all over the news. On the front page, even. Small wonder there, really. "Five Teenagers found Mauled to Death in Forest, Wild Animal Suspected" is something you can pretty easily imagine making the front page. I only had to see the headline to confirm my suspicions about Zim's "outing" last night. I knew that this time I really was going to have to talk to him, which definitely wasn't a good idea, in fact, it was probably my biggest mistake so far, but it was all I could think of.

I waited a few days, three, to be exact, before seeing him. There was a new news story each day, with another report of three or four more teenagers murdered. They all were found with similar injuries. I finally couldn't wait any longer.

_My third, possibly life-threatening visit to the base, _I thought to myself, trudging over yet again. I didn't go unarmed this time, though. I'd got a silver dagger off a shifty-looking redneck in a cloak a few weeks ago. I have absolutely no idea where he got it, but it just so happened to be just the thing I'd need if things got bad. Everyone knows all werewolves are allergic to silver. The only other thing I brought was the article. I was going to show it to him, make him realize that I knew what he'd done, and let him know I was going to stop him.

When I got to the base, nothing had changed. The house was still dark, the gnomes still off. I crossed the lawn again, experiencing some serious deja-vu by this point.

I first tried ringing the doorbell, but when no sound came, I realized that it must have been connected to the computer, which he still hasn't repaired. That said, I went to knock on the door, but I had only just touched it when it suddenly pitched inward, and fell into the house with a crash. I gave a surprised yelp, and jumped back a few feet. When nothing came tearing out of the base to rip me to pieces, I quietly walked over the fallen door and into the base.

I looked around. Everything was dark and deathly quiet. No one was around. Nothing moved. The only light came from the windows and the now empty doorframe, the setting sun turning the exposed spots a warm orange. I was just about to cry out when a huge, forest-green form barreled out of nowhere, knocking me down. Zim. I screamed as a huge weight crashed onto my chest, pinning me to the floor, and his PAK legs extended, holding down my arms and legs. A huge paw pressed my head against the cold tile underneath me. I couldn't have moved an inch if I'd tried.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear your throat out right now, Worm," said a growly voice just centimeters away from my ear.

"I o-only want to t-talk," I lied, trying not to let the fear show in my voice.

"Talk? Well, maybe I don't want to talk," he replied, in a mocking tone, slowly dragging one claw down my exposed neck, opening a shallow cut.

"Please! I think I can cure your Lupitis! I can't help you if you kill me!" I pleaded, getting desperate.

The claw stopped running down my neck, and the weight on my chest disappeared. I sat bolt upright, and my hands flew to the cut on my neck. It was bleeding a fair amount for such a shallow wound. I looked up, and I finally got a good look at Zim. He was so wolf-like by this point that he barely even looked Irken, instead he looked like you had tried to cram a bipedal wolf into an Invader's uniform. His boots and gloves were gone, and his feet and hands had become large paws. He looked rather creepy hunched over in the dim light.

"Talk," he barked.

"Oh, well, um, okay, you see, I, errrr…" I stammered, blanking on ideas.

"You really don't have a cure, do you?" he sneered, his eyes narrowing to angry slits.

"Uhhh… THINK FAST!" I yelled, pulling the silver dagger out of my coat and hurling it at him.

It lodged firmly in the base of his neck, sinking up to the hilt. He made a gagging noise, then staggered backward. I was about to celebrate my victory when suddenly he stopped staggering, regained his balance, pulled the dagger out of his neckand flicked it aside like it was nothing! Apparently not all werewolves are allergic to silver. I really wished I had known that sooner.

"You really thought that you could take me down with that shiny toothpick?" he snarled, coughing up small amounts of blood.

"I had sincerely hoped that, yes," I replied nervously, backing toward the door.

"And to think I actually came close to _trusting _you. Well, Dib-Filth, I think I'm going to finish up my earlier project of tearing your throat out."

"I'm not afraid of you," I lied. "Even if you kill me, it won't change anything. I know what you did, and someone is going to make the connection eventually."

"What? What on Irk are you talking about? If you mean the cows, I'm not worried. You humans are all so stupid, so _oblivious_, no one would think to come looking for me even if I mailed a signed, addressed confession!"

"Cows? What cows? Don't try to play innocent, you know what you did! I have the proof right here," I said, pulling out the article to show it to him.

I held up the newspaper for him to see. Suddenly he bolted forward. I barely even had time to tense, I thought he was going to attack me again. Instead, he stopped short just in front of me, his nose millimeters away from the paper, scrutinizing it like it held the answer to everything.

"No…" he whispered, barely audible, after staring at it for a few moments.

"No… How can this be?" he continued, snatching the paper away, and holding it crumpled in his right paw, rubbing his chin thoughtfully with the left.

"This is the first I've heard of this…" suddenly he turned back to me, looking angrier than before.

"Run."

"H-huh?"

"Run. Now. Thank your lucky stars I don't skin you alive right here, but as much as I'd like to, I have more pressing matters to attend to. That said, I'd advise you to get out before I lose my patience," he hissed.

I didn't need more warning than that. I ran out of the base, grateful I had even survived. _He put on a convincing little act, but I know what he did, and he can't hide it, _I thought as I ran._ I'm going to catch him, tonight, and I know just how to do it…_

That night, I left my house, and began to head toward the forest. My plan was to go to the site where most of the attacks took place, and wait for Zim to come to me. All I was bringing with me was a flashlight and a camera to videotape it. I wasn't thinking at all. I didn't bring any way of calling for help, and nothing to defend myself. That thoughtlessness was my final mistake.

There is only a bit to tell after that. I arrived in the forest. It was dark, and quiet. I waited. After a long time, I was just about to give up and go home, when I heard a low growl behind me. I turned around and he was standing there. Zim. I dropped the camera and the flashlight, and ran, and he chased me. Thankfully the moon was bright enough for me to see without the flashlight. The rest is obvious. Just running and more running. And then I found the cave, and cheated death once again.

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><p>Dib's P.O.V.<p>

Well, what's done is done. I can't undo the mistakes I made, but I can try not to make more in the future. That should be long enough, the beast has probably moved on by now. I can leave this cave.

I walk out of the cave, limping due to my ankle, I walk out of the small stream, and I've gone a few feet on dry land, when suddenly I hear a low growl from behind me…

OH NO.

I wheel around, and there, sitting on the rim of the ledge is the wolf, missing a few patches of fur and looking like something straight out of hell. I barely have time to react. He leaps down the ledge, landing right next to me, and lashes out with his paw. For a fraction of a second, I think he missed. For a fraction of a second, I can't feel anything.

And then I feel my side ripping open.

Pain.

It hurts like nothing I've ever known.

I open my mouth to scream, but no sound comes out except for a strangled gasp. Then the second blow comes, sending me crashing into the wall of rock just a few feet away. Searing bolts of lightning shoot up my spine, and I feel the bones in my arm grinding against each other.

I land flat on my back, just barely breathing. The world seems to be spinning. My entire body feels like it is on fire. I can't even move. I just watch as the wolf walks over and places a paw on my chest, huge claws tearing through my shirt, digging into me. It hurts, but I am past caring. I can only stare as he raises the other paw, aiming for my head. The blow will be strong enough to break my neck, I can already tell. I'll be just another newspaper article soon. I close my eyes, and wait for the end to come…

It doesn't.

I open my eyes just a little, and I see that the wolf has lowered its paw, and is staring at something on the ledge with what can only be described as a confused expression. I follow his gaze, and there, hunched on top of the drop off, is a second wolf, the same size as the first. But what does it matter? I'm going to die, anyway. What's one wolf more or less? But wait… This one is different. I look a little closer, and there is definitely something different about this wolf. The fact that the moon is directly over the wolf shows that the wolf is not black, but instead it's fur is a deep pine green, with blood-red eyes, the bright moonlight glinting off an almost-hidden metal device on it's back. But wait, that can only be… Zim? But if that's Zim, then who is-

My train of thought is cut off as Zim lets loose with a huge growl, and lunges toward me. I close my eyes again, thinking Zim is going to kill me, when I hear a second growl, but this one came from the wolf on top of me, and the claws are ripped out of my chest, bringing a fresh bout of pain as the wounds are widened. I gasp again, and open my eyes.

The nightmarish sounds of the two wolves fighting fades into white noise as I roll over and shakily try to stand, putting my weight on the arm I forgot was broken. I yelp and fall on my side. I look up again, slowly, and focus on the fight. I start watching just in time to see Zim grab the second wolf by the shoulders, and jam its head under a raised tree root. I freak out and frantically try to get up as he turns and runs towards me.

But strangely, instead of attacking me like I thought he would, he grabs the back of my coat in his mouth, and swings his head around, depositing me on his back, just behind his PAK, and takes off.

I don't know where he's taking me, but I doubt it's good. I start to struggle weakly, trying to get away, but he quickly notices, and the PAK legs wrap around me lightly, removing any possibility of escape.

"Don't worry, everything is going to be fine."

I must be out of my mind for believing that, but something about the way he says it makes me want to trust him. I stop fighting and relax. There's no way I could get away, anyway. My numerous injuries finally start to get to me, and everything becomes a haze. I'm losing consciousness. I decide to let my overwhelming exhaustion take over as I close my eyes, and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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><p><strong>Soooo, that's it for Chapter Five! Hope you liked it! So Zim WASN'T the werewolf chasing Dib! Go figure, right? Was anyone surprised about that? Anyone? Please R&amp;R! See you next time! Invader ShadowWolf, OUT!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6: Questions

**Hello everyone, the Wolf has returned, bringing with her a new chapter of her fanfiction! Thank you all for waiting so patiently. I appreciate the fact that none of you have held me in your basement at gunpoint, threatening me as I frantically write another chapter. It really makes my day. A notice, the name of Zim's disease, Lupitis, is not derived from Lupin, instead, both are derived from the Latin word Lupus, meaning wolf. Anyway, I hope you have been happy with the story thus far, enjoying the action and such, I will try to keep it heated up, but I'm a little spacey currently, so this may be a slow chapter. Any guesses about the second werewolf's identity? Anyone wondering what's going to happen to Gir? Are you confused as to why Zim would save Dib? All your questions will be answered in due time, I promise. And about that disclaimer, I unfortunately do not own Invader Zim, all characters, rights, and aspects of the show belong to Jhonen Vasquez. So then, please enjoy Chapter Six!**

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><p>Dib's P.O.V.<p>

Sometimes it's funny the way the human mind works. When I woke up, despite how traumaticevents of last night, at first, I remembered nothing. That was because I woke up in my room. But after the few seconds of confusion, mere seconds stretched into an eternity in the almost eerie calm, it all came back. And it came back with the impact of a train, and it gave me such a headache almost instantly.

Maybe the headache was because of all the unanswered questions I had, hammering away at the forefront of my mind.

Maybe it was because of the injuries I had received last night, my broken arm, my side torn open, my ankle sprained, now clumsily bandaged, and the fact that I knew there was only one guy who could have done it, but I just couldn't comprehend why.

Or maybe it was because of the calm. Complete calm. Utter silence. The sun coming in through the window, everything peaceful, nothing moving. So contradictory to the way I felt. It made me want to lose my mind. Tear something apart. Light something on fire. Destroy something. Destroy everything. Make the whole world reflect the storm going on in my mind.

But I think there was one thing that kept me from doing that, that one thing that was breaking the calm, even though I didn't even realize it was there at first.

And that was the sound of labored breathing coming from the corner.

As soon as I snapped out of my thoughts, realizing the presence of the foreign sound, I looked up to try to find the source.

And it didn't take long.

There, in the corner, unconscious and covered in wounds, was Zim. He had shrunk back down to the size of a regular wolf, and his fur had turned back to a more normal-looking medium green, but the injuries he had received last night hadn't shrunk with him. He wasn't doing well, to say the least. Unless of course bleeding to death in a corner has suddenly become a good thing. And I sincerely doubt it has.

Acting on instinct, I awkwardly get out of bed, and I was halfway to the door before I stopped. Why was I even going to help him?

_Well, he saved your life, for one thing…_ piped up the voice at the back of my head.

_Yes, but we're enemies!_ argued a second voice.

_This takes arguing with yourself to an extreme… _a third voice chimed in, sounding sarcastic.

_Shut up, _the other two snapped in unison.

_Okay, okay, jeez…_

…_What a weirdo…_

_I know, right? Well, anyway… Are you really just going to let him die?_

_Well, he hasn't been exactly nice to me lately, not to mention he's bleeding all over the carpet…_

_That's completely beside the point._

_No, it isn't._

_Whatever. He got those injuries fighting to save your life, and you're going to watch him die? Do you really want that on your conscience?_

…_Maybe…_

_No, you don't. And you know it._

_Lalalalala, I'm not listening to yoouuu…_

_...Just do the right thing, will you?_

_Ugh, fine. You can be so pushy sometimes…_

I started down the hall, toward the bathroom where we keep the medical supplies. Grabbing them, I headed back to my room.

_Happy?_

_Yes._

Bending down over the unconscious wolf, I looked him over, analyzing his injuries. There was a lot to cover. He had a set of three, long gashes, clawmarks, running down his left side and down his left back leg. There was an extremely deep cut on the bottom of his stomach, just a little to the right. It looked liable to get infected if it wasn't treated quickly, but at least it didn't seem to have damaged any internal organs. He had two large bite marks, one on his right front leg and the other on his shoulder, right where it meets the neck. The only other injury was a scratch over his left eye. Thankfully, the eye itself wasn't damaged, but I doubt the scratch will ever fully heal.

I opened the medical kit, and leaned over on him to try to bandage the injuries, when he suddenly moved, the contact must have woken him up. I moved backwards, startled.

"Gerrafugawf…" grumbled a slurred, groggy voice, sounding more like a growl than actual words.

I wasn't exactly sure how to reply to this, so I just sat back and watched as he slowly woke up, his ruby eyes sliding open and drifting over to rest on me. I didn't know what I expected him to say then, but it certainly wasn't what he did.

"Hey," he mumbled, almost nonchalantly.

"Uhhh, hey…"

"So you're okay."

"Yeah…"

"Good. Frankly, I was worried that you weren't going to live. Your heart stopped."

"What?"

"I said your heart stopped. Twice. I had to use my PAK on you to jumpstart it."

"Why would you do that?"

"Hmm?"

"Why would you do any of this? You almost killed me, more than once, and then you almost get killed yourself, trying to save me! And then, to top it off, you only tend to my injuries, and you leave yourself bleeding to death in a corner. Something's going on and I want to know what. I want answers. Now."

He stared at me for a few moments, looking almost… sad?

"Well, about tending to your injuries, yours were more severe than mine, and needed immediate attention. And well, as for why I saved you, I don't want to talk about it…" he trailed off.

I just stared at him for a few seconds, and even though he was looking away, I knew he could feel my glare.

"Fine, I'll tell you. Bring up the database, look up Lupitis again," he finally gave in, still not looking at me.

"I already saw that-"

"Just do it."

I limped over to the computer, bringing up the database, and quickly recovering the article on Lupitis, reading it aloud.

"Lupitis- A rare virus, the deadliest known disease among Irkens. There is no known cure. Not very much is known about the disease, as all subjects who contract it are banished-"

I stopped reading there. I didn't need to go any farther. How could I have forgotten?

"Oh god…"

"Yeah. Do you get it now? And that's not even the worst of it."

"How could it get any worse?"

"Well, pretty easily, actually. Soon after your last visit, I finally got a link through to the Massive. To the Tallest. I asked them for research facilities to study and try to find a cure for the disease. The request was denied. They told me that if they wanted to find a cure for the disease, they didn't need me to do it, they said they had more competent Irkens to do so. They told me that my mission was a fake, that it's always been a fake, and called me a defect. They told me I was banished, and never to call them again. I can no longer make contact with any other member of my species outside of this solar system, and my ship has been rewired, I can't leave this galaxy. It didn't come as a surprise really, I guess some little part of me has always known, but it was still crushing. I saved you because I wanted you to know I was sorry. I've hurt so many people over a lie. Especially you. And so I wanted you to know I was sorry."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't."

"What?"

"You don't. And I wasn't expecting you to. I can't give you a good reason to trust me, because there isn't one. I was hoping you could forgive me, but I didn't think you would."

This was so weird… I've never seen him act anything like this before… I think he's telling the truth…

"Alright, I believe you."

He didn't reply to this, but he turned around to face me, and I think he almost smiled.

"Okay, well, we have to do something about your injuries…"

Almost an hour later, all of his injuries were cleaned and bandaged, and most of the blood on the floor had been cleared away. I was holding a two-inch fang I had pulled out of the wound on his shoulder. I'd decided to keep it, but Zim really couldn't understand why I would want to. I didn't expect him to, he isn't a paranormal investigator. I mean, really, it's not every day you come across a real werewolf fang…

"So, now what?" I asked, without thinking.

"Hmm?"

"Now what? Where do we go from here?"

"Mm. Well, one thing is certain. That wolf was the one that has been killing people. We need to find a way to get rid of them. Maybe if we find a cure for my Lupitis, it could be used to get rid of this werewolf."

"Yeah, that might work, we could use my dad's labs, but then there's the problem of getting you around… Maybe we could try to pass you off as a rare dog breed?"

"Only with your dad. I refuse to walk around on a leash in public. I still have my dignity."

"Well, what other options do we have?"

"Most humans are pretty stupid, we shouldn't have too much of a problem. If I wear a large black hoodie and black sweatpants, or something, we'll be just fine."

"Are you sure?"

He gave me a look.

"Uh, yeah. Trust me, I can pass off just about anything as 'normal.'"

"Okay, do you think we should tell Gaz about this?"

"I don't see why not. The Gaz-Human doesn't care about much of anything, what harm is there in her knowing? Why are you even asking all these questions? What is this, an interview?"

"Well, I just think we should have some sort of a plan…"

"Huh. Well, I need to go back to the base, there's some equipment over there that will help with the research. After all, Irken technology is much more advanced than anything we could find in your parental unit's labs, so it would b an asset to have at least some superior technology on hand. Also maybe Gir will be there. He's been acting strangely, and I'm just a bit worried…"

"Fine. So we're going back to the base, then."

We quickly found a hoodie and sweatpants for Zim to wear, and the trip to the base was a bit awkward, due to the fact that we were both injured, but otherwise uneventful. But when we got to the base, that was when things started happening. As soon as we opened the door, it was quite apparent that someone had been here before us. And that is because the base was decimated.

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><p><strong>Alright, so, that's it, thanks so much for putting up with a really, really, <em>really <em>crappy chapter. Sorry, I've just been really spacey, and I had a bit of writers block. I will try to put up a better chapter soon, I promise. So, anyway, I'm back to writing in the past tense, even though the flashback is over. Sorry if it's a little confusing, I just write more fluidly in the past tense. So, please review, and please, please, please no flames, I already know it was crap. You don't have to rub it in. So, just in case I don't get the next chapter up before the holidays, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, have a nice Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, whatever you may celebrate, I hope you have a brilliant time, get together with your family and loved ones, and just have a Happy Holidays everyone! Invader ShadowWolf, OUT!**


	7. Chapter 7: Trapped

**Hello, my Lovely Readers, and welcome to Chapter Seven of my Invader Zim fanfiction! I'm so very sorry that it has been so dreadfully long since my last update. I will do my best to keep them frequent from now on for you guys. Okay. So then, the disclaimer, I do not own anything about Invader Zim, hopefully you know that by now, it all belongs to Jhonen Vasquez. For the love of God, don't sue me. All you will get is fifteen bucks cash, a ten-year-old junky laptop, and some crappy furniture from Ikea. So then, I sincerely hope that this chapter is better than my last one, please enjoy!**

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><p>Dib's P.O.V.<p>

"No… No, no, no! How could this have happened? Who could have done this?" Zim said, breaking the shocked silence.

We had been standing in the doorway and staring at the ruins of what used to be a house for several minutes. The base was a complete wreck. Sparking metal tentacles and ruptured wires dangled from jagged holes in the ceilings and walls. Claw marks marred almost every surface. The TV was a shattered mess, having been pounded into the wall. The couch looked like a pile of stuffing, and the slightly creepy picture of a large-eyed green monkey that formerly hung over said couch had been torn down and lay snapped in two on the floor. It looked like a hurricane armed with a mace had blown through.

He ran into the kitchen, and took the elevator in the fridge. It was the only one he could fit into by this point, and thankfully, it was still working. I followed him. It was bigger on the inside than it looked, but it was still a little cramped. He didn't comment on this, in fact, he just stared at the floor the whole way down. When the elevator reached the bottom, the doors only slid open a fourth of the way. I nudged Zim, and the wrenched them open enough for us to walk through. The lower levels of the base were in even worse condition than the house.

Broken glass and shards of metal were everywhere. Any equipment or tech that might have once been useful, or even mildly functional was lying in pieces on the floor. Every computer, keyboard, machine, console, monitor, or anything similar had all been reduced to smoking piles of chips, hard drives, and burned-out motors. Still more claw marks scored the walls. So many live wires erupted from the ceiling, floors, and walls that it looked like a jungle. A mechanical jungle. Whoever had done this had certainly been thorough.

Explosions had taken out many of the rooms, so there was a pretty straight path to follow. Neither of us spoke. I wasn't sure what to say, and Zim just kept looking around and muttering to himself occasionally, looking broken. At the end of the path there was a large room. It was just as bad as everything else, maybe worse. But the one difference about this room was that the computer was completely intact. Everything was destroyed and completely useless, but the computer in this room had been left intact.

I hung back as Zim dejectedly trudged over to the computer, clearly not knowing what to do with it. But no sooner had he turned it on than a huge image of the black wolf from the previous night came up on screen, a demonic grin pasted across its face.

"Hello," the wolf on the screen said, smirking, its voice mocking and genderless.

"YOU! YOU DESTROYED ZIM'S BASE YOU LITTLE-" Zim yelled, only to be interrupted.

"Don't bother replying, this is a recording," continued the wolf. "As you already know, your base is decimated, destroyed, wrecked, however you want to put it, I have quickly and efficiently made it completely and utterly useless. And, to add insult to injury, I did this all while you were busy saving that pathetic excuse for a human you call Dib. Wondering why I've done all this? It's pretty easy. I play the long game. I'm a killer. I'm dangerous. I'm the Alpha. I want to be the boss, and you two and your tech and your stupid heroics are all that stand in my way. All I'm looking to do is bring this city to its knees, and I have the means to do it.

"But you two are looking to stop me. You want to stop the killings. You want to save lives. You want to cure me, and I don't want to be cured. I've never felt better in my life. I have wiped all the memory from this computer, this little warning is all you'll find on it, so don't bother looking. I'm not just going to stand back and let you stop me, so I've prepared a trap. The end of this message starts a countdown; as soon as this recording is over, the entire lower base will self-destruct in three minutes. Feeling lucky? Want to take a chance and play with me? Game on, and game over."

And then the screen went black.

"LOWER BASE WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN THREE MINUTES," blared a computerized voice.

_Ohcrapohcrapohcrap..._ I started to frantically stumble backwards, toward the doorway, but tripped over a loose wire, falling backwards and landing hard on my back, hot sparks dancing down my broken arm.

I was wrenched upward by a green paw, and shoved in the direction of the door.

"Move!"

I didn't have to be told twice. I started making my way over the debris as fast as I could, leaning a bit on Zim for support.

Back in the hall, there was less debris, so we moved faster. Even so, I don't know how we can make it. It took us almost seven minutes getting down this hallway, and even if we did manage to make it, we would have to wait for the elevator. Judging by the look on his face, Zim knew it too.

"MINIMOOSE!" he suddenly bellowed down the hall.

What looked like a purplish-brown football with antlers flew out of nowhere, emitting panicked squeaks.

"Minimoose, I need you to go up ahead and get the elevator, alright?" Zim said.

The moose squeaked one more time and shot ahead of us down the hall.

_We're relying on a squeaking potato to save us. We are so dead, _I thought.

By the time we finally got to the elevator, the doors were open and Minimoose was hovering outside the door. I had been sort of timing us, so I knew the clock was down to around thirty seconds.

We both dove into the elevator, I went first, and Zim wedged himself in behind me, grabbing Minimoose and wrenching the doors shut. Ten seconds. Zim turned around in the cramped space and began frantically pressing the button, but the elevator wasn't reacting fast enough. Just some clanking and grinding. Five seconds.

Zim turned around, facing away from the door.

"COVER YOUR EARS!" he yelled.

I slapped my hands over my ears as he did the same, and Minimoose, possessing neither hands nor ears, shut his eyes as tight as he could.

3…

2…

1…

Then it blew. There was the most deafening noise. And I mean DEAFENING. Allow me to put it into perspective for you. Can you imagine a cannon going off? Think how loud that would be. Now, multiply that by a thousand. And now imagine that you're in a metal phone booth, and all those cannons are pointed at you. That bad? No. Worse.

The elevator shot up the shaft like a bullet. I could only feel it banging off the sides, because the second that explosion went off everything became a soundless whitewash, even though my ears were covered.

I wasn't sure how long we had been shooting up the elevator shaft, but the next thing I knew all three of us were being violently thrown out of the fridge.

We all bounced across the room, followed by the blacked chunks of smoking metal that were now all that remained of the elevator shaft and the lower base.

I just lay there, curled up in a ball, too shocked to do much of anything for a few seconds. Zim got up before I did.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" he screamed at Minimoose. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE GUARDING THE BASE! HOW COULD YOU LET IT GET IN? AND WHERE IS GIR?"

The tiny floating robot squeaked a few times in return.

"HE WHAT? HE RAN AWAY? HOW COULD YOU LET HIM RUN AWAY? ARE YOU JUST COMPLETELY USELESS? GAAAAHHHH! This means back to square ONE!" he yelled, picking up the now-detached fridge door and ripping it in two. "My base is destroyed, Gir is missing, and whoever this black wolf is, they are REALLY getting on Zim's nerves! Ugh, let's just get out of here! There's nothing even LEFT! Come on Dib-human, we're going. Minimoose, you stay here and see if there's anything worth saving, although Zim highly

Clumsily getting up on my one good arm, I stood and followed him towards the door, only to walk right into his back.

"What? Why did you- Oh."

Peering out of the doorway, the first thing that was noticeable was the fact that there were four news vans, and a massive amount of people, cars, and news reporters everywhere. Heck, it was bigger than the Moofy incident. That stupid Girly Ranger.

Snippets of dialogue came drifting over from the crowd.

"The mysterious tremor…"

"Largest one in years…"

"Traced to this area…"

"Scientists are unsure.."

"Well, this is really great. How are we going to get out of here now?" I muttered.

"It isn't that…" came the strangely pained reply.

"What?"

"On the news van."

I shifted my eyes to the largest van, and I saw what he was talking about. I don't know how I missed it before. And I don't know how no one

Sitting on top of the van were three humanoid black wolves, all with burning yellow eyes. They were huge, and built like football players, but that wasn't what was scary.

The scary part was that they were staring right at us like we were dinner.

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><p><strong>That's all for Chapter 7! I hope you enjoyed it, I am starting work on Chapter 8 right away. Thank you all so much for being so patient during the unfairly long wait. I'm so sorry I did that, and I'll do everything I can to make sure it does not happen again. And don't worry about Gir, he'll come back. I apologize once again for my own incompetence, and promise to do better. Invader ShadowWolf, OUT!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8: Run for It

**Hello again Fanfictioners, and here is the eighth chapter of my fanfiction! I apologize again for the wait on the last chapter. I'll start this one right away, but first a little shout out to guest reviewer xXFemkeXx! You told me that you have been drawing Zim as a werewolf, and I must say that I would LOVE to see it! If you do not yet have a DeviantArt account, please make one, and let me know when you do, because I would love to see them posted. Anyway, the disclaimer, I do not own Invader Zim, all rights to the show belong to Jhonen Vasquez. With that, let's begin.**

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><p>Dib's P.O.V.<p>

I heard Zim utter a few choice curses, and we both stood stock-still for a few minutes. Neither party moved.

"It looks like they aren't moving until we do…" Zim said finally.

"Well, what the hell do we do now?" I hissed.

"Give Zim a moment to think!" he snapped.

A tense quiet hung in the air as we both sat inside the doorway, trying to come up with something. That was when I had what was either the smartest or the dumbest idea of my life.

"I think I've got something. Zim, can you drive a car?" I asked.

"What? Of course I can! Did you forget who you are talking to? I can pilot a spacecraft, so it should be child's play for Zim to use one of your primitive Earth-cars," he bragged.

"…You've never tried before, have you?" I asked.

"There's a first time for everything," he confidently brushed me off. "So what is this plan of yours?"

"If we can get to one of those cars, I have a pretty good understanding of electronics, so maybe I could hotwire one. If you can drive it, we could probably lose them somewhere."

He stared at me.

"That's really all you could come up with? ...That is completely stupid! Where did you even come up with something that crazy?!" he replied after a few seconds, leaning towards me and waving his arms for emphasis.

" It's not like we have another option!" I snapped back.

"I'm sure I could come up with something that wouldn't get us both killed in a terrible way, if I had enough time!"

"Time is something we don't have a lot of, Zim."

He sputtered, too angry to form a coherent sentence. I could tell he knew I was right. He exhaled deeply.

"Fine, but if the engine burns out I get the parachute."

"You really have no idea how a car works."

"Just-… Just shut your filthy human mouth and get ready to make a run for it. Go for that shiny gray one. It's closest," he said, pointing to a medium-sized silver car with a sun roof.

We both got up and stood in the doorway again.

"Ready?" he growled.

"Ready as I'll ever be…"

"NOW!"

We both tore off across the lawn, narrowly missing tripping over the lawn gnomes. We three black wolves acted seconds after we did, all trying to scramble off the newsvan at the same time. They clearly were bred for power and speed, and not reflexes, and tripped over each other, wiping out.

And then everything dissolved into chaos, a huge screaming crowd of people who only just realized that their lives were in danger. At least it bought us time.

I jiggled the door handle on the drivers side. It unsurprisingly wouldn't open.

"It's locked!" I yelled.

"Get out of the way!" Zim barked, pushing me to the side and ripping the car door off.

"I guess that works too…" muttered, climbing into the car and removing the panel under the steering wheel.

"Diiib, hurry uuup!" Zim whined worriedly.

I chanced a brief glance out the window. The three wolves had collected themselves, and were heedlessly tossing humans left and right as they slowly made their way towards us through the crowd.

"I'm going as fast as I can with one good arm!" shouted back, yanking at a handful of wires.

Suddenly the car hummed to life.

"I'm done! Get in!" I yelled, clicking the panel back into place and sliding into the passenger seat.

Zim threw himself into the car, and, panicking, assessed the controls. He twisted the steering wheel, cringing like he was expecting a sudden burst of speed. Obviously, nothing happened.

"HOW DO I MOVE THIS STUPID THING?!" he screeched.

"THE PEDALS!"

"ZIM SEES NO FLOWERS!"

"BY YOUR FEET! PRESS THE ONE ON THE RIGHT TO GO AND THE ONE ON THE LEFT TO STOP!"

Zim slammed on the gas pedal briefly, and the car shot forward, quickly and efficiently smashing into Zim's fence, and reducing a fake puffer fish to shards of plastic. One of the black wolves, who had lunged for the car, faceplanted into the ground behind it.

I grabbed the stick shift and pulled it into reverse.

"TRY AGAIN!" I yelled.

The gas pedal was slammed on once more, and the car bumped and shook as we backed over the floored wolf. We continued going backwards until we collided with another fence. I readjusted the stick shift.

"DRIVE, DRIVE, DRIVE!"

The car shot forward again, leaving the two wolves we hadn't hit in the dust behind us.

"TURN THE WHEEL TO STEER!"

Zim twisted the wheel as hard as he could, and we made a sharp turn out of the cul-de-sac. The car shot down the street, with Zim flooring the gas pedal.

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><p><strong>So, that's all for Chapter Eight! It was somewhat short, but I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I'll start Chapter Nine right away! Be sure to review! I gotta go now. Thanks for reading! Click the little button on the top right to read the next chapter. (When I upload it.) Bless your face. If you sneezed during this Fanfiction bless you. If you understand who I'm refrencing here, please tell me. Peace off! INVADER SHADOWWOLF, OUT!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9: Pursuit

**Intro of darkness then redness then whiteness! **

**Hello once again audience! When we left off, I was quoting Tobuscus, also known as Toby Turner, and blessing your faces. I am currently typing this in his voice. Why am I talking about all this? To quote Gir, I don't knooow…. Seriously, though I have no idea. Well then, why don't I tackle the disclaimer and get started on the ninth chapter of my fanfiction? BUT FIRST! See that awesome new cover image of mine? That little slice of epic was drawn by xXFemkeXx, and if you want more awesome, check out her page on DeviantArt. Her DA username is missfemke37! Seriously, do it. She has some darn cool stuff on there. Anyway, I do not own Invader Zim. Please do not sue me. All you will get is crappy Ikea furniture. With that grim truth out of the way, let's begin!**

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><p>Dib's P.O.V.<p>

Zim still had no idea what he was doing. The car started to swerve to the right.

"AGGGHHH! HOW DO I STEER AGAIN?!" he shouted.

"THE WHEEL! TURN IT! QUICK, TAKE THIS LEFT!" I responded, pointing down a side street.

He made a rough turn, and smashed one of the car's headlights on a lamp post as he twisted the car around to the left. I turned around and checked behind us. The black wolves were following us again. And they were gaining fast.

"ZIM, YOU NEED TO PICK IT UP!" I yelled at him.

"I'M TRYING!" he yelled back, dodging another car, who was honking at us loudly.

"TRY HARDER!"

"DOESN'T THIS HAVE ANY ROCKETS OR BOOSTERS OF SOME KIND?!" he asked, randomly pressing buttons.

The air conditioning roared on, the seat heaters kicked in, the sunroof rolled back partway, and the radio started playing a Linkin Park song at an ungodly loud volume.

"NO, NO IT DOESN'T! STOP PRESSING THINGS! AND TURN RIGHT HERE!" I screamed, covering my ears to block out the pounding music.

"THAT'S A STUPID THING NOT TO INCLUDE!" Zim screeched, taking out our remaining headlight on another car as he made the turn.

"HUMANS DON'T TEND TO NEED ROCKETS ON CARS! JUST KEEP PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL TO GO FASTER!"

Zim slammed the gas pedal down even harder, and ran two red lights before something shook the car with a powerful thump. We were both confused for a moment, thinking we'd something over, until we realized that the wolves had jumped onto the car.

In seconds, a wolf whose yellow eyes had a slightly green tint to them had crawled down onto the hood. It grinned at us evilly as Zim swerved the car, trying desperately to shake them off.

"We gotcha now!" the wolf on the hood laughed, his voice surprisingly nasally.

"YOU CAN TALK?!" I screamed over the still-blaring music.

"Of course we can talk, you dumb little-"

His words were cut off as the windshield wipers switched on suddenly, catching him right in the face, followed by a round of anti-freeze sprayed in his eyes. He let go of the car with a surprised yelp, and rolled off the hood into the right lane.

"I was hoping for lasers, but that works too…" Zim mumbled.

His mumble quicky shifted into a yell as a black paw shot through the sunroof. Just barely missing us, it retracted most of the way out of the car, but stopped at the roof. Using the edge of the sunroof as a handle, it started to peel back the roof of the car as easily as if it were opening a can.

Suddenly it stopped, and a pair of orange-tinted yellow eyes met the opening, glaring at us.

"There is the little rat that ran me over!" he growled in a heavy Russian accent.

The paw slid down again, and before we could react it was closed around Zim's throat and was trying to pull him onto the roof of the car.

"DIB! GET THE WHEEL!" he barked, letting go of it to push against the attacking wolf.

"WHAT? I CAN'T DRIVE!" I shouted back.

"WELL THEN, I HOPE YOU'RE A FAST LEARNER!" he responded as he disappeared through the hole to deal with the wolves.

Panicking, I jumped into the driver's seat and grabbed the wheel. My feet just barely reached the pedals. Thrusting the wheel to the right, I brought the swerving car safely back into its own lane. Casting my eyes over to check the mirrors, it was fairly obvious that every single person on the road with us was staring. I mean, the car was being driven by a minor and there were three wolves on the roof of the car fighting it out. Even the toddler in the car next to us was sitting there open-mouthed.

I didn't have time to think about that, and I twisted the wheel to the far right again, just barely making the turn. The car rode up on the sidewalk, and the bump was enough to knock one of the remaining black wolves off.

"Sonofabitch!" the wolf with the Russian accent yelled as he skidded across the pavement.

There was only one black wolf still on the roof of the car, and judging by the noises, it was a female. Navigating the car safely back onto the road, I pressed the gas pedal to the floor again, hoping to avoid the other wolves catching up with the car again.

And then I started to realize what street we were on. Leaning forward in my seat to get the best view of the road ahead, it removed all doubt. We were on the road that led right to the river.

I jammed the wheel left, hoping to get away from the river that was approaching in front, and it snapped off in my hands, now connected to the car by only a few wires. Zim must have been turning it way too hard.

"ZIM! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" I shouted towards the roof, holding the disconnected wheel in my hands and trying not to panic.

"GAH! WHAT IS IT NOW?"

"I THINK WE'RE GOING TO CRASH INTO THE RIVER!"

"WHAT?"

I guess both of them looked up, because the last black wolf suddenly jumped off the car.

"I'm OUTTA here!" she barked, tearing off.

I slammed down the break as hard as I could, but we are already too close. With the tires screeching against the asphalt loudly, we smashed through the guardrail.

The time between leaving the road and hitting the water seemed almost too short to register, with the imposing blue floor of water swallowing us in a blink.

Missing a door and with most of the windows broken, the car was sinking fast. I felt a paw grab me by my collar and yank me through the roof. I came up gasping and spitting out water.

The current was moving incredibly fast, and neither of us was swimming well. It was all the non-aquatic Zim could do to get to the bank with the water soaking through his fur and burning his skin. I could only barely stay overwater, struggling with my injured arm.

By the time we managed to get to land, we had been washed almost a mile. Dragging himself out of the water with me following close behind, Zim collapsed onto the sand, wheezing and choking. The sound the water made as it burned him was sickening. It sounded like someone frying something.

I groaned and shifted slightly, wanting to move my arm to brush the wet sand away from my face, but being too tired to do much more than just twitch. Despite the polluted smell and the chilly water that still splashed around my shoes, I was perfectly happy to lie right where I was for the moment.

And then, predictably, another problem presented itself in the form of police sirens shattering the illusion of quiet.

They sounded pretty far away, but they were bound to get closer. Someone was going to wonder about the car that drove into the river. My thoughts only then started to venture towards the hope that no one had recognized us during our panic run through the city.

"…We have to move again, don't we?" I asked, despite knowing the answer.

Zim wheezed something faintly resembling a sentence.

"Okay then…" I grunted, pushing myself up and tiredly starting to walk.

Zim got up slower than I did, and moved slower too, clearly sore from trying to swim.

By way of abandoned neighborhoods and quiet alleys, we made our way back home in silence over a period of several long hours. But nonetheless, make it home we did, and it was already dark when we got there.

Throwing the door open and shut in one awkward shudder, we both collapsed again, although this time the couch was there to break the fall.

"Dib?" Zim said quietly, speaking for the first time since the river.

"Yeah?" I replied, not opening my eyes.

"Tomorrow, let's stay home."

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><p><strong>Alrighty! So that's it for Chapter Nine! Hope you liked it, please leave a review, as they are really appreciated! I'll start the next chapter right away. 'Till then, Fanfictioners! INVADER SHADOWWOLF, OUT!<strong>


	10. Explanation

**Okay. The next update for this story should be coming soon. As soon as I can get through my school work.**

**The reason for the long wait is a legitimate one, although I still feel terrible for it. The reason is that the computer I had all my files on was old, and it overheated and crashed. :(  
><strong>

**So I'm really sorry for the long wait. I'll try to get it up soon. And I'm still pretty bummed about my files.  
><strong>

**Hopefully I'll be able to post within the week.  
><strong>

**Invader ShadowWolf  
><strong>


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